Results tagged “Meredith Young” from Drama Queen

The Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival's Region II O'Neill Critics Institute starts at Indiana University of Pennsylvania on Tuesday. I know that's a lot of qualifiers, but I, for one, am unqualified in my excitement about this year's event. Thus far, we're set to have the largest enrollment ever in this region, plus, two of last year's contenders will return to try again for their chance at the golden ticket. This is a big deal because, as you may have heard, the profession is in a bit of a holding pattern (cough, nosedive, cough) right now. But it does my heart good to see this many students undeterred; the more young, creative, tech-savvy minds willing to give arts journalism a go, the likelier it is that someone will grab the controls and steer us in a new direction. That would be nice, since spending so long preparing for impact really has me cramped up.

As was the case last year, readers of this blog (and especially KCACTF participants) are invited to chime in with feedback for our writers. Ready to meet them?

Shawn Arnold is a senior at Clarion University and theater fanatic! He is currently pursing a B.F.A in acting, B. A. in history, and B. S. in secondary social studies education. His most recent stage appearance was in Clarion's production of David Mamet's one man show, Mr. Happiness. Some of his other theater appearances on the Clarion stage include a company member in the neo-futurist play 43 Plays for 43 Presidents, George in the dark one-act Shel Silverstein play Wash and Dry, and Mark Twain in Hauptman and Miller's musical Big River. Aside from theater and history, Shawn is also obsessed with the silly dead-pan antics of The Office and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. He is excited to join Wendy and the institute again in its new incarnation following last year. He cannot wait for another chance to do it again . . . "That's what she said." [Ed. Note: Assuming here Mr. Arnold isn't referring to his teacher.]

Nic Barilar is a southern California native who fell in love with theatre at the Pantages in Los Angeles. He currently resides in the tundra of western Pennsylvania where he is a BFA acting major with technical theater and English literature minors at Clarion University of Pennsylvania. As an actor, he has been seen in such productions as Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Psycho Beach Party, Much Ado About Nothing, and Brigadoon. Theatrically speaking, Nic also is interested in playwrighting, set design, and improvisation. Nic is an avid fan of the work of Stephen Sondheim. Apart from theatre, he enjoys reading the works of Stephen King, Victor Hugo, and Voltaire as well as playing piano, singing, and waxing humorous with his chums. Nic hopes to learn about a vital aspect of the theatrical world as well as improve his analytical abilities.

Robby Apple Bassler is currently enrolled as a senior in his last semester at James Madison University where he studies theater and English. This is his second time participating in the Kennedy Center's Critic's Institute; he received the runner up award during last year's competition in Region IV. Robby is also a playwright, director, actor, and technician but enjoys the potential of combining his knowledge of all of these elements in the world of critiquing. In his near future, Robby hopes to join Teach For America teaching theater in New York City and pass down what he has learned at the Kennedy Center's Critic's Institute.

Michael Antonio Cook has been practicing theater in some form for almost half of his life. From an early age he has developed the ability to quickly form opinions and impressions on things and has an incredible memory. Because of this he has decided to try his hand at being a critic to share these insights he has with the world.

Mark Costello is a second-year Master's student in the theater program at Villanova University where he focuses primarily on dramaturgy and playwriting. Most recently, he has served as the production dramaturg for Villanova's 2009 run of The Zoo Story; he is currently serving as the assistant dramaturg for the Philadelphia Theatre Company's world premiere of Terrence McNally's Golden Age. As a dramaturg, he believes that an easy and free flow of culturally relevant information helps a production inform both itself and its audience; as such, he's excited to begin doing critical work with the O'Neill Critics Institute so that he can engage with audiences instructionally through print and internet media.

Connor Davis: I am a junior theatre major at James Madison University. At JMU I worked extensively as a stage manager and director. In high school, I directed an "abridged" 30-minute version of The Compleat Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged). The showcompeted in the Bucks County Playhouse Secondary School Festival, where I was named Best Director. This February I will direct Adam Rapp's Red Light Winter, and stage manage CharlesMee's bobrauschenbergamerica in May. After attending multiple productions in and outside of New York, I started to write down things I liked and disliked. This began as an exercise to help my directing, but has evolved into something I enjoy. I have never considered myself to be a great writer, but this is something I think I could be good at. Through this workshop I hope to begin developing and working on the technique of writing critiques.

Valerie Gibbs: I am currently a junior theater major at James Madison University.I have been interested in theater practically my entire life, but most of my interest was in the performing aspect of it all.It was not until college that I started exploring the other aspects as well. In college, we have to write papers on the various shows we see, and through the now two-and-a-half years of doing this, I have gained a greater appreciation for theatrical critiques.I have never been extremely confident in my writing capabilities, but I have improved and I want to continue learning how to master this trade. One of my professors suggested the Critics Institute at KCACTF to me, and upon further thought, I decided it would be a great learning experience.It might be tough for me at times, but I am definitely up for the challenge.

Peter Starr Northrop is a Memphis-born, Pennsylvania-based writer with no style and an awkward sense of humor to match. He is currently a junior at Elizabethtown College, where he is frantically throwing together a double-major in English and theater. Mostly he divides his time between working as the head features editor for his school newspaper--The Etownian, heading the writers of a sketch comedy group, and attending the occasional class. When it comes to theater, Peter has recently stuck to the directing side of things. He just wrapped up a production of David Ives' English made Simple and is currently assistant-directing Elizabethtown College's production of Five Women Wearing the Same Dress.

Nathan Taylor is a junior at James Madison University, currently working on a double major in theater and English. He has been involved with theater since he was a young boy, appearing in several shows in the Washington D.C. area during his childhood. It was not long before Nathan realized that he had to be involved in some facet of theater for the rest of his life. Coincidentally, he has also been involved with the English language since he was a young boy, attending elementary school and learning the alphabet during his childhood. It was not long before Nathan realized that he had to both be able to speak and read the English language if he was going to be successful in his adulthood. With the love of both writing and watching a production, he naturally has a passion for critiquing shows of all types.

Barbara Toperzer: I first became involved with the theater at the age of two as a baby in The King and I. The trauma of the experience meant that I've not been on the stage much since, but it seems like I just can't get away from it completely, no matter how hard I try to pretend I want nothing to do with it. I've been involved on the edges of the theater at McDaniel College since my freshman year, mostly by helping out with tech and somehow always ending up in housing with theater people. I have a huge respect for the process and everything that goes into it, and I do love to watch live theater whenever I can. Learning to do reviews seems like a great way to combine my love of theater with my love of writing.

Kelly Wetherald: I am a junior musical theater major and nonprofit studies minor at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA. I got involved with theatre in eighth grade and my passion for the arts has grown exponentially from there. Over the past few years at JMU I have explored multiple aspects of theater including performance, directing and criticism. With support from my parents and professors, I have learned that there are a variety of ways to express one's creativity in the realm of theatre. Theatrical criticism is honestly a foreign avenue for me, but I think that my love for the written word as well as my passion for theater will blossom with this program. I look forward to exploring and improving my criticism skills as well as opening up new possibilities for the future.

Meredith Young: I'm a senior theater major at James Madison University. My life of crime started about 10 years ago in community theater productions. I loved performing, so I decided to parlay that enthusiasm into a bachelor's degree. At JMU, I got involved with other production areas like costuming and directing until landing in nerd heaven with dramaturgy. One of my favorite things about experiencing a show is listening to others discuss it and piece together meanings for themselves. Theater criticism affords me the opportunity to be a part of that dialogue. I could talk about a show until the cows come home, but as I understand it, the difficulty lies in having the vocabulary to do more than slam or laud (as well as in finding a balance between reviewing and analyzing). This puts the onus on a critic to be as informed as possible. I look forward to stretching and learning at KCACTF this year.

A few of the students haven't sent their bios yet, so if they show up on registration day, you'll meet them too. Hopefully, you'll also show up on registration day and throughout the festival to check in with our participants, chart their progress, scan the multiple platforms we'll be using, and help us pick a winner.